Description
Job Summary:
The Senior Specialist, Government Relations is a unique role to help build and maintain relationships with government stakeholders. The Senior Specialist builds understanding of BCLC by providing strategic advice and support in the areas of government relations and issues management. The role is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic government-relations plans. This role deals directly with key internal and external stakeholders, including BCLC executives, elected officials and civil servants. The role requires strong strategic orientation, the capacity for sound judgment to navigate challenging situations and attention to detail to ensure consistent, accurate messaging through all channels.
Accountabilities:
- Supports government-relations activities by enhancing positive relationships with elected officials and civil servants to strengthen understanding of BCLC and the gaming industry, and associated opportunities/strategic plans/issues.
- Proactively develops and delivers government relations, external communications and issues management strategies and recommends appropriate solutions.
- Coordinates and implements responses to government requests and drafts briefing materials, information notes, government and corporate reports, position papers, Estimates notes, correspondence and strategic communications plans.
- Monitors media, legislative, policy and regulatory activity that may affect BCLC and the gaming industry.
- Provides issues management support by collaborating with internal stakeholders to analyze the issue and develop a communications and/or government-relations strategy to manage a positive outcome for BCLC.
- Proactively builds, develops and maintains relationships with key internal stakeholders from across the organization and with external stakeholders, including government contacts.
- Effectively utilizes all existing communication tools and tactics and provides innovative approaches to ensure that messages are communicated effectively to external audiences.
- Supports the team in broader external communications activities, including public relations and media relations, to build understanding of BCLC and the gaming industry, support corporate initiatives and objectives and ensure consistent approaches and messaging.
Minimum Required Qualifications:
Education and Experience
- Degree or diploma in political science, public affairs, communications, journalism and or public relations;
- 4 to 6 years current, related experience in a strategic government-relations or communications position;
- Demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of strategic and proactive government-relations initiatives;
- Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Technical Requirements
- Strong understanding of provincial government legislative, regulatory and policy processes;
- Ability to develop messages that effectively tell the organization’s story to a variety of audiences;
- Demonstrated understanding and implementation of government relations and issues management best practices and approaches;
- Understanding of government relations and stakeholder relations as it pertains to the B.C. gaming industry;
- Existing contacts within provincial government;
- Proven ability to provide direction based upon comprehensive knowledge of principles, practices and techniques of strategic communications, government relations and issues management;
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate with people at all levels;
- Exceptional written communication skills, editing skills and capacity to tailor information for various audiences;
- Outstanding critical-thinking skills and demonstrated problem solving capabilities;
- Adaptability and flexibility, including ability to manage competing deadline pressures, ambiguity and change;
- Understanding of media-relations best practices and approaches is an asset;
- Strong computer skills - MS Office suite.
